COMMUNITY FORUM

plaster walls need help

I have an old home with plaster walls. I am removing the old wallpapaer off and painting but in one of the rooms some of the paint is coming off leaving me with 4 peeling paint walls. I had a similar problem in my first house. I hired someone to sand and put 2-3 skim coats of mud on but the walls there were dry wall. Can this process be done on plaster? If not, what has to be done in order to prepare the walls for painting. I do not want to dry wall as I would have to take off the trim which is over 100 years old and would probably not survive the removal process. Thanks for help!

The same method is fine, but with a few changes. First, you should prep the area more carefully by scraping away all loose plaster, even down to the lathes. Second, paint priming/bonding liquid onto the exposed plaster surfaces so the repair material bonds better. Third, use patching plaster instead of drywall mud. For holes and gouges deeper than 1/4 inch or in a large area, you will probably need to apply a second coat due to cracking while it dries. Finally, you need to seal the new plaster with a shellac.

For small cracks, the Home Depot book claims you can use drywall joint compound after cutting into the cr4ack a bit to provide the compound more of a surface. But for your job, I would use the plaster patch with primer and sealant.